Hail and Farewell to Paris

He was late. The empty chair opposite me gave me a clear view of the oil painting on the cream wall. It was a Pre- Raphaelite, a copy, obviously, of Proserpine by Dante Rossetti. She clutched the condemning pomegranate in her hand as she looked sadly through the melancholic nothingness that enveloped every paint stroke. I smiled at her sorrowfully, that beauty immortalized in his canvas after the artist had long gone. I felt a slight twinge of regret, what did I have left to show when I was gone? Nothingness.

Suddenly the clumsy clunk of a body filled the empty chair. A pristine navy suit now blocked my view from Proserpine.
“Hello”
I smiled, “Hello, you’re considerably late.”
“I’m sorry” a huge grin wound itself across his lips.
“That’s perfectly fine I ordered the most expensive red wine on the menu to keep myself occupied.”
He laughed, pouring himself a glass and shooing the dancing waiter away who had sped across the room to fill the glass himself.
“This is a nice restaurant”
“It is isn’t it? I thought you would like it here Ava, you look positively beautiful by the way.”
“Thank you very much, that’s a very smart suite”
“Saville Row”
“Naturally”

He took a gulp of the wine and swilled it around his cheeks. Before nodding his head appreciatively,
“Yes that is very good”
He called the waiter back with a flick of his finger and we ordered, as the waiter’s perfectly polished black shoes sped off around the corner I caught the suite smiling at me.
“How are you?”
“I’m…” I paused… I…well I wasn’t fine at all…and he knew it.
“Distraught?” he whispered.
I nodded, “That’s more or less a perfect word, I’m trying to hold myself together as much as possible, but…”
I felt my lip quiver.
“Hey, hey, I know…I know…well in fact I know everything, it’s okay, really, I just thought…well… I thought you needed this, a small break from the distraught heart ache that true love does bring on oneself.”
“I do love him”
“I know you do.”
“But then there is Michael…”
“Your beauty is your curse Ava but it is not your fault, the man is… lost. He’ll get over it I promise you that.”
I nodded, words failing me, he always knew the right thing to say.
“Are you scared?”
I laughed lowly, “Of marriage? Of step- mother-hood? Of crazy fans? Of the media? Of not returning to Paris? Of course I am, I’m terrified beyond belief.”
I took my wine glass and drained it.
He chuckled, “You have nothing to worry about Ava darling, please, listen to me, it’s why I am here.”
“How did you know? How did you know I needed you? Why do you always know when and why I need you?”
“Because I am always with you and I always will be”

I jumped, my eyes snapping open, water gushing over the side of the bath from the shocked fright that I had awoken in. My heart thumped in my chest and my breath hitched as my lungs desperately tried to grab the air around me.
I froze, blinking in the misty bathroom, tears beginning to fall from my eyes.
I dreamt, or was it a dream? It felt so real, he felt so real…
Charles.
Oh God dearest Charles.
It was as if he had never died. My throat let out a strangled sob as I scrambled from the bath, water now covering the entire floor. I clutched the sink, balancing myself as I shakily wrapped a fluffy towel around my torso. The mirror was misted, my palm swept across the slimy surface as I stared into the reflection.
A terrified face staring back at me.
Suddenly something inside hit me and my legs near collapsed.
Charles in the dream stared at me with those eyes of his….eyes…a flash, a look, a small gesture, a hint of Gregory Marciano.

My eyes opened,
“Dad she’s awake!”
Suddenly Billie’s face came into view, “Hey, how you feeling babe? You fainted”
A moment of madness
“I’m…okay…”
I sat up straight…not a wise decision my head span 360 degrees and I pathetically flopped back into the sofa.
“Take it easy Aves” Billie smiled, taking my hand in his own.
“Mike! We’re supposed to meet Mike!”
Billie smirked, a hand stroking my pale cheek, they moving upwards to my forehead.
“Nah, you’re not going anywhere, stay here…”
“No Billie I’m fine, I…”
“How many fingers?” Jake yelled, splitting my head in two.
“Jake!” Billie snarled, “Stop yelling, if you want to help go and get Ava some water and an aspirin…” he turned to me, “look, babe, I’m sure Mike won’t mind, you need to rest, I’ll just say what’s happened and come back straight away…no…no arguing…I think you may have a cold or something, too long in the bath huh?”
I smiled, my heart beating madly, he couldn’t meet Mike by himself, especially after last night. The sharp lights in the room began to hurt my eyes as Jake handed me a glass of water and I swallowed down the aspirin gratefully.
Before I knew it Billie’s head had left my torso and was directing his body to the door.
“Come on you two, we’ll get some burgers or something…you sure you don’t want anything?”
I shook my head, “Billie I’m fine please…”
“I won’t be long, bye babe”
He kissed my head and I watched him and his two sons leave me alone in the room.
I blinked; my vision blurred all I could see was those eyes.

I darted for the phone. After a moment contemplating the object I decided to bite the bullet. It just felt so right.
Gregory, Gregory, where on earth was his card?
Gregory…
Ah! There.
My stomach lunged as the dial tone began to ring.
“Hello Gregory Marciano?”
“Hello? Gregory? It’s Ava”
“Ava! How are you?”
“I’m okay thank you and yourself?”
“Good, good, I’m currently packing, I’m going home tomorrow.”
“Oh Gregory what a shame dear…”
“I know, ah well, all good things must come to an end…”
I nodded and silence took over, how was I going to ask this?
“Er…Gregory I…I was phoning to thank you for yesterday, you where my hero when I was in need.”
“It is perfectly fine Ava dear, glad to be of help.”
“I…I also phoned to ask you a question…”
There was a pause as I sighed.
“…Gregory where you by any chance acquainted with Charles Winchester?”
I heard him breathe, “Lord Charles?” he questioned.
“The one”
“Yes.”
I swallowed. Oh God, why did all paths lead to Charles?
“Why do you ask Ava? How did you know?”
“Well, I had a hunch, you know when we first met and you said you recognized me…is it because of Charles?”
I could almost hear Gregory’s brain whirring.
“I…I knew Charles because I was the photographer for his last wedding…”
Suddenly it clicked, those beautiful pictures of Charles and his last wife Melissa…I remembered tottering around that day in the background, half jealous of her and half over- joyed for him…Charles thought that Melissa would last his lifetime. I remember standing with Anthony as him and his friend John began to bet how long she’d last…then there was one friend who joined them, one who held a camera and was Italian…

“You…you were the photographer? Oh My God…”
“Small world huh…but I must admit that I was more friends with Anthony than Charles”
“Oh did you and Anthony..?”
He giggled childishly, cutting me off, “No, no, myself and Anthony were never in a relationship...he went out with a friend of mine for a while, no one knew he was gay however till Charles died.”
I nodded, “Yes I know... did you go to his...Charles' funeral?”
Gregory sighed, “No I missed it unfortunately I was at a shoot in the US.”
I nodded.
“God Ava, I can’t believe we have met before, I knew we had…you were that girl in the blue dress with the enormous hat.”
I chuckled sadly, “Yes, it was to hide my face, Charles’ relatives hate me.”
Gregory sighed, “Ah yes, Anthony told me... I think I was going to ask you for some pictures of you at the wedding but he stopped me…said Melissa wouldn’t be too happy.”
I chuckled.
“Oh Ava, this is so strange…I can’t believe…”
“I know, I know…”
I smiled sadly as we said our goodbyes, I felt a starnge sensation of comfort in the pit of my stomach.

Snuggling deep into the couch, Billie failing to return I wondered if Mike had told him the same confession he had told me yesterday. My heart sped up in fear at the thought.
Yet, for some reason I felt better, I didn’t feel worried.
I wondered what the reason was for Charles to somehow connect me and Gregory together in such a way?
Was it possible that Charles was actually watching over me? That he had employed Gregory as his human replacement? As my watcher? As a friend that I needed?

A while later I heard the door click and 6 pairs of feet shuffle into the room.
I swallowed as I heard Billie whisper.
“Goodnight guys, see you tomorrow.”
“You not going to bed dad?”
“I will soon Joe…I just need to talk to Ava first.”